This Week in Library Land: May 5th to May 11th
The past several weeks have been amazing ones in Library Land. The first Library Land Field Trip - across the South and Mid-Atlantic - was terrific. All told, we saw 18 libraries in ten states. As fun and exciting as it was, it was also good to get back home.
That doesn’t mean this past week was any less exciting. No, not by a long shot! We visited six libraries and appeared on WGBH’s Boston Public Radio with Jim Braude and Margery Eagan. So much fun!
On Monday we were at an old favorite, the Christa McAuliffe branch of the Framingham Public Library. It was a productive afternoon and I don’t think I’d realized just how comfortable the study rooms are there. Liberty Land Score: 4.36.
Concrete has a charm all its own.
On Tuesday we decided to make some progress in Boston. We’re getting close to completing all the branches. It started at the Charlestown Branch, which is a nice example of the 1970s Brutalism so popular in these parts. There are no study rooms, per se, but there are plenty of places to get work done. The main room is two stories tall with gorgeous orange walls! One thing that was interesting about the branch is the number of Millennials who use it. We’re used to being told that libraries see either young kids or senior citizens. While that is true to an extent in Charlestown there were a lot of people in their 20s and 30s working away. Awesome to see. Library Land Score: 3.82.
Parker Hill
Next we went to the Parker Hill Branch. It’s a large, open building with a high roof and glass and wooden screens dividing the space into three sections. As is the case in many Boston branch libraries (too many if you ask us) Parker Hill has no study rooms. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good place to get some work done. It’s a very quiet and comfortable space and the staff are very welcoming and friendly. Library Land Score: 3.91.
We took a little hiatus on Wednesday but on Thursday were back in action. We had business on the South Shore and decided to stop by the Plymouth Public Library, one of our favorites. They just have so much going on. We started in one of the open study areas but ended up in one of the main reading rooms. It was a productive visit. Library Land Score: 4.27.
The modest little Manomet Branch.
We wrapped up the Plymouth Library system with a visit to the Manomet Branch . Perhaps we should have paid more attention to the lukewarm response when we mentioned our plan to visit - from librarians and people on the street alike. It’s definitely a small branch but that’s OK. What wasn’t so OK was the WiFi, which was confusing, weak and prone to dropping. We can work without a study room but without stable WiFi? Not so much! Library Land Score: 3.45.
Our final library visit for the week was the Boston Public Library in Copley Square on Friday. We’ve visited a number of times, but this one was special. We were guests on Boston Public Radio with Jim Braude and Margery Eagan for the Weekly News Quiz. (You can find and listen to the Quiz here!)
Everyone’s a winner - but Adam was the actual winner!
It was super fun to talk about Library Land and our PR agency, SharpOrange. While we both felt like superstars, it was Adam who came away as the champ. We hope to return on some future Friday when we finish visiting every public library in Massachusetts!
Another thrilling week is before us and who knows what fun we’ll find! Whatever happens, you will read about it here!